


Eight Days a Week (I Love You)

by fencer_x



Category: Free!
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 14:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13437246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencer_x/pseuds/fencer_x
Summary: (based off of the 'Who would you choose as your boyfriend?' track of the Drama CD) Rei resents Nagisa's insistence that he would be anything less than an absolutely perfect boyfriend—and so engages him in a wager: they'll play "boyfriends" for one week, and if Rei can pull it off, he wins. But...what exactly does 'winning' entail?





	1. Tuesday morning, 8:15 AM

"Hold my hand."

"Wh— _what_?! I'm not going to—"

" _Hold my hand_ , Rei-chan," Nagisa repeated insistently, a slight whine to his voice, and he shook his open palm emphatically, looking rather ready to add a stamped foot to his demand if not satisfied with the promptness of the response. "You _promised_ , remember?"

"I most _certainly_ promised _no_ such—"

"Weren't you going to be the perfect gentleman? A charming escort who was never late and always informed, who cooked and cleaned and was _everything_ one could ask for in a partner?" Nagisa repeated, voice going deep and silky and threatening as he glanced up from under hooded eyes, lips quirking up on one side. "It's this, or back in the speedo, like we agreed."

Rei's brow twitched, glaring down at the hand extended before him as Nagisa wiggled his fingers daintily, and with a frustrated groan, Rei snatched the hand into his own and began stomping up the hill to campus, jerking Nagisa forward and relishing the little cry of surprise he received in return.

Nagisa quickly recovered, though, drawing up alongside Rei, his fingers laced between Rei's own when he neglected to do so himself with their hands swinging back and forth between them as Nagisa hummed a tune of his own composition—and not a very good one, Rei noted with a mental sniff; the timing was all off, and the key was abhorrent—while Rei made every effort to ignore everything to the right of center and instead turned his focus to the book in his free hand ( _Ten Steps to a Better Butterfly Stroke_ )

It was less than twenty-four hours into their agreement, and Rei was already ready to eat crow.

While it felt like ages had passed, each hour spent keeping up this ridiculous facade seeming to crawl by at a snail's pace, it had only been just yesterday when an innocent conversation regarding lunches (or rather, Rei's superb skills in the kitchen) had tended in an odd direction, as conversations involving Nagisa were wont to do.

Really, it was all Nagisa's fault they were in this position. Not because of the wager, and not because he'd made the utterly absurd suggestion of deciding who they'd date if they were women, but because Nagisa had refused to see reason or logic, had _insisted_ on being difficult—had gone _on and on and on_ in that utterly frustrating way of his, when he just would _not_ leave well enough alone, about Rei being anything _other_ than the absolute perfect boyfriend.

Which was preposterous; Rei felt he'd defended himself more than adequately, given a rather long-winded description of the ways in which he intended to sweep a lady off her feet, leaving her absolutely taken with him, no two ways about it—but Nagisa had seemed unruffled and Haruka-sempai and Makoto-sempai rather dubious, and really what other choice had he had but to prove them all wrong?

Which was why he was here, trudging up the hill to school (and wasting a morning of jogging because Nagisa had insisted they drop by the convenience store beforehand—which had only been, it turned out, an excuse to bully Rei into buying him some saccharine monstrosity of a drink that looked like it would induce cavities just by _smelling_ it because, _"You're my boyfriend now so you have to treat me!"_ ), Nagisa's fingers fitting snugly between his own as he made idle commentary about the trees, the cars, the buildings, the—"Ah! Gou-chan! _Gou-chan!_ Morning!"

Rei seized up, nearly dropping his book, and shook his hand furiously to try and break free, hissing curses under his breath, but Nagisa paid him no heed, fingers clenched in an iron grip as he jerked Rei forward, waving his free hand to flag down Gou. He quickly maneuvered himself behind Nagisa—though he wasn't quite sure why. He stood a good head taller than Nagisa and had more body mass to boot; he could no sooner crouch hidden behind Nagisa than he could hope to make it through this week without being utterly humiliated by his classmates.

Instead, he turned his back and tried to at least hide their linked hands between their bodies, pretending to be engrossed in his reading when they drew close to Gou.

"Morning~!" Nagisa greeted again, as cheerful as ever without even a hair out of place, and his cheeks flushed with excitement. She returned his greeting politely, directing her own to Rei, who simply nodded and muttered a peevish _good morning_ as he made every effort to appear inconspicuous.

They traded a bit of idle chatter, obviously having no need to involve Rei in whatever their discussion was, before Rei was once again pulled from his book (he was never going to get through the ten steps at this rate, and just how much could he expect to improve by completing only two?) as Nagisa tugged insistently on his hand with a light, "So we're dating now!"

"N— _Nagisa-kun_!" Rei snapped, face tomato red as he brought the paperback down on Nagisa's head with a rough _whap_. "Don't say things that invite misunderstanding!"

Nagisa winced, rubbing his head and skittering away as far as he could while still holding Rei's hand tightly. "Well we are!" he reminded petulantly. "For a few more days, at least!" He shook a finger in Rei's face, pulling a frown. "And _that_ was part of the deal, too. To be open about our relationship because of _course_ you'd be _proud_ to let others know your choice in partner."He puffed his chest out and added, " _Especially_ if it was a catch like me!" His lips curled up thinly. "Right~?"

Rei's eye twitched, and a soft moan died in his throat. "…Of...course." He swallowed before stretching up tall, squeezing Nagisa's hand as tightly as he could and adjusting his glasses with a stoic mien. "I'm shocked you could possibly think any less of me." He slipped his book into his bag and fixed his gaze on Gou, summoning all the strength that dwelled within, and took a deep breath. "Gou-san… I feel it my duty to inform you that yes—" He bit back a groan. "—for the duration of this week…I shall be posing as—"

"You _are_ ," Nagisa reminded emphatically, cheeks puffing out. "Don't make me prove it." And Rei didn't know exactly how he intended to 'prove it', nor was he all that keen to find out.

"That I _am_ Nagisa-kun's…" He almost whimpered the final word, wincing at the taste it left on his lips, "… _boyfriend._ "

"And he's mine!" Nagisa added, punctuating his announcement by looping his arm through Rei's and tugging him close with a self-satisfied grin.

Gou, to her credit, offered Rei an understanding smile, brows knit in sympathy. "Yeah...I heard about it from Makoto-sempai yesterday." She scratched the side of her face with a light chuckle. "The things you boys get yourselves into..."

"I didn't _get myself into_ any sort of—" Rei started hotly, but at Nagisa's sharp reminding glance, he huffed in defeat. "It's merely a wager—and _temporary_. I've but to play the part—" Nagisa raised a brow. "— _convincingly enough_ —" The brow relaxed. "—until Sunday."

"Boyfriends are still boyfriends!" Nagisa reminded with a whine, loudly enough that they were starting to garner stares, and Rei twisted around to free himself from Nagisa's clinging and hid their hands again from the students starting to crowd the grounds. He certainly hoped Nagisa didn't intend to continue this once they actually stepped inside the building—it was platonic enough they could probably laugh it off, and Nagisa had certainly developed something of a reputation as a trickster and a flirt, so likely they'd receive little beyond raised brows and titters from the girls, but _still_. If he gave Nagisa this inch, he didn't want to contemplate the mile that would be taken in its stead.

"Well...good luck, I suppose?" Gou offered with a strained chuckle. "And remember I won't be at the pool for the first half hour today— _nicchoku_ duties for me." Nagisa waved her off, and Rei granted her a stiff nod which she returned with a more genuine smile this time before jogging over to a trio of girls she greeted in excited tones. Rei tried to ignore the little stab of jealousy he felt at her freedom.

With her departure, Nagisa eagerly tugged Rei through the school gates proper, babbling about the readings they'd been supposed to do for English (which he of course hadn't done and was, Rei was positive, only bringing it up in the hopes that Rei might summarize it for him) and the upcoming end-of-semester tests that everyone was starting to get tense over (but not Nagisa, of course, and Rei supposed that ignorance really was bliss). "Oi, are you listening, Rei-chan?"

Rei huffed his irritation, glancing around quickly before guiding Nagisa over to a corner of the yard blocked from view of most onlookers by a tall bush. "May I _please_ have my hand back now, Nagisa-kun?"

"Were you even listening to what I said?"

"Give me my hand back and I'll be glad to tell you." He tugged experimentally—and Nagisa refused to budge at first, but after a moment's pouting, relented, releasing his grip. Rei regarded his palm, wiping the sweat against his blazer, and calmly recited the list of woes Nagisa had just regaled him with, feeling a surge of satisfaction when Nagisa visibly wilted, pout firmly attached to his lips. "I told you—I have a rather spectacular memory and would never forget _anything_ important when it came to my _beloved_." He capped his boasting by tweaking Nagisa's nose before taking him by the shoulders and steering him back out into the courtyard. "Now if you'll excuse me." He then turned on his heel and stalked away before Nagisa got any wild ideas about having to go to class together or fetch each other's shoes from their respective boxes.

He'd almost made it, nearly home free, when Nagisa called out, loud enough for the entire courtyard to hear, "Fine—but _boyfriends eat lunch together_! And you'd better treat me to dessert, too!"

This was going to be a rather long, involved week.


	2. Tuesday afternoon, 12:13 PM ~ Tuesday evening, 6:56 PM

"I'm _not_ going to feed you." Nagisa refused to close his mouth, though, sitting there leaning against Rei's shoulder and insistently poking him in the side. "St—stop that! _Haruka-sempai_ , please _do_ something!"

"Don't involve me in your ridiculous shenanigans," Haruka returned evenly.

"But you're the only one he'll listen to!"

If Haruka heard him, though, he didn't show it, continuing to pick at his mackerel, delicately slicing it into bite-size chunks; Makoto chuckled uneasily, watching the pair. "Nagisa can be rather persistent—I'd give in, if I were you."

"Y—you're taking _his_ side, Makoto-sempai?!"

Makoto flushed, obviously uncomfortable with the accusation. "It—it's not a matter of taking sides, honestly—but if you insist on going through with this bet, then…I'm just speaking from experience when I say that Nagisa can be rather persistent." Nagisa's cheeks flushed with pride as he spared Makoto a grateful glance, mouth still hanging open and lips quirking up at the sides. "If I were you, I'd sacrifice a few battles in order to win the war."

Rei pursed his lips, still unsatisfied with the situation but understanding the logic behind Makoto's advice, even if he didn't quite appreciate it, and with an irritated sigh, half moan-half grunt, he tore off a chunk of the _Iwato-Big Surprise_ bread Nagisa had pressed into his hands the moment they had breached the roof doors, slipping to his knees and opening his mouth as he gestured for Rei to feed him. "I'll have you know this is _not_ how I would share a meal with my partner," he grumbled, making every effort to ensure his fingers didn't touch Nagisa's lips as he dropped little chunks of bread into the waiting mouth.

Nagisa paused to chew. "Eh? Why not? It's totally romantic—you see it in movies all the time!"

"What movies are you watching, exactly, where a man feeds his beloved like some pigeon in the park?" Nagisa wrinkled his nose at the comparison. "My thoughts exactly. Bonbons in bed is a far cry from…whatever this is." He held the bread out with disdain and squinted through his glasses. "Besides; it's terribly cliched." And when Nagisa cocked his head, Rei had the very poor judgment to clarify: "If I were dating someone, I'd cook a romantic dinner for them, naturally."

Nagisa's squeal of delight was positively _deafening_.

* * *

Rei sighed as he pulled out his wallet—this really was ridiculous; he was a first-year in high school with a limited budget. He couldn't afford to fake-date someone for a week if he was going to be expected to prepare them romantic meals every evening. But he'd already boasted of his skills in the kitchen, and the display earlier on the rooftop had sealed his fate for the evening, and so here he was, at the local grocer with fresh shrimp and shimeji nestled in his basket next to pasta ingredients, the cheapest remotely romantic dinner he could manage on such short notice. Granted, he doubted Nagisa would notice—the guy was probably just looking forward to mooching a free meal off of someone with some measure of culinary prowess—but still, he didn't want his eventual win being called into question simply because he couldn't properly clean a shrimp.

He counted out the bills and dug through his coin purse when the cashier announced his total, glancing at his watch in the process. He'd instructed Nagisa to come over promptly at 6; they would have the house to themselves until at least 7:30, which meant no one else needed to know he was being conned into this humiliating situation. He reminded himself, like a mantra, though, that in only a matter of days, this would all be worth it—for surely Nagisa couldn't complain about his being too fussy or call into question his attentiveness after all of _this_. It was no longer a matter of simple acknowledgement—pride was on the line here, and he would ensure that Nagisa knew, quite thoroughly, just how hasty he'd been in his assertion that he would find dating Rei too tedious.

After all, Rei's personal feelings on the situation aside, Nagisa seemed to be enjoying himself well enough thus far.

* * *

"I'm coming in~" Nagisa announced cheerily as he toed off his shoes in the foyer, plastic bag laden with sweet after-dinner treats rustling softly in his hand.

"It's not quite ready yet," Rei reminded after Nagisa stepped up into the front hall properly, gesturing to the living room where a small table had been set up on the floor. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable and I'll bring everything in as I finish preparations."

"Eh? No way—I wanna help if there's still work to be done." He ducked down to peek around Rei, trying to see into the kitchen. "Want me to set plates out? Or get drinks?" And he seemed so honestly intent on offering assistance that it threw Rei for a moment, who struggled to determine where Nagisa had the potential to cause the least amount of damage.

"I…suppose you can set out flatware and cutlery—this way, then." He beckoned Nagisa to follow, rolling his eyes in fond amusement when Nagisa toddled like a little penguin dutifully at his heels. Waving at a cabinet, he instructed, "We'll need bowls—and spoons and forks for the pasta—"

" _Pasta??_ " Nagisa's expression brightened, eyes flashing, and Rei backed up against the counter, fearful of being pounced upon as he'd seen Haruka-sempai deal with when Nagisa got too excited. "I _love_ pasta, Rei-chan!"

"That's…good, then?" He honestly hadn't thought to ask in advance—who didn't like pasta?—but he supposed he'd risked Nagisa potentially being allergic to shellfish or simply not caring for mushrooms, and what kind of an example was he setting if he wasn't attentive to his partner's likes and dislikes? He congratulated himself, though, for at least remembering that Nagisa didn't like onions or peppers. Pushing his glasses up with a huff, he collected himself and continued, "As I said—bowls, spoons, and forks. Tongs for the salad are in the drawer next to the cutlery, so be sure to retrieve that as well."

"Where are the candles?"

"In the—wait, _what_?" He'd been monitoring the pasta noodles, boiling away furiously in a large pot on the stove and just about ready to be drained, and whipped his head around in confusion. "Candles?"

"Mmhmm," Nagisa nodded to himself, rifling through the cutlery drawer for spoons and forks. "For the mood."

"Mood…?"

Nagisa spared him a glance, brows raised. "It's a romantic dinner, right? So we need the right mood!"

Rei stiffened with shock and shame—this wager was ridiculous to begin with, what point was there in taking it so seriously?—and sputtered, "Th—there's no need for any _mood_ —I've made you dinner, as requested; that should be more than enough!"

" _Rei-chan_ ," Nagisa interrupted sharply, cutlery clenched in one fist and features hard. "You _promised_." And he had—he _had_ promised, yes, but what was the point? What enjoyment could Nagisa possibly derive from dinner-by-candlelight with some gawky fifteen-year-old who could barely manage a decent Butterfly and sank like a stone on every other stroke? Nagisa seemed ignorant to Rei's internal struggles, though, and shrugged to himself, huffing as he reached up to pull down two bowls, "Honestly, I don't know what you're so worked up about anyway; not like there's anyone here to make fun of you for doing things properly."

" _You're_ here, Nagisa-kun," Rei grumbled, mostly to himself, and opened a cabinet to pull out a colander to drain the pasta. "You're not exactly known for your tact."

"Eh?" Nagisa threw a glance over his shoulder as he headed into the den to set the table, expression so honestly innocent Rei had to catch himself. "Why would I tease you, though? I'm having fun."

"Then I question your taste," Rei muttered, tossing the sauce, pasta, and piping hot shrimp and shimeji into a serving dish.

Through their combined efforts, the table was soon filled with a rather impressive spread of pasta and salad—complete with two little flickering tealights in the center of the table that had been intended for use during power outages. If Nagisa didn't deem the mood sufficiently set with the tiny little candles, he didn't say as such, offering an excited _itadakimasu!_ before digging into his pasta with vigor, twisting noodles about his fork and slurping them down while he complimented Rei on his skills between bites.

Rei fought the urge to reprimand him for his table manners or instruct him to chew properly before swallowing, lest he choke—reminding himself that doing so would just solidify Nagisa's claim that he'd be a fussy, tedious boyfriend. And maybe, in that, he had a point: if he were truly head over heels with someone—with Nagisa, for example—wouldn't he be focusing on the way the candles really did set the mood, casting flickering shadows over Nagisa's features and catching on the highlights in his hair, or be conscious of the fact that they were alone, sharing a meal together in close, quiet quarters, enjoying simple, silent companionship?

Nagisa was right—there was no one to impress right now, no reason to feel shame, and seeing as Nagisa clearly didn't care about his atrocious table manners, opting to heap fervent compliments on Rei's cooking over bothering to chew with his mouth closed, Rei could probably stand to loosen his tie a bit as well.

At length, Nagisa seemed to have finally sated himself on pasta and salad, settling back with both arms behind him and sighing contentedly. Rei snorted at the sight, "I take it the meal met expectations?"

"Mmm, passed 'em…" Nagisa mumbled, eyes closed in digestive stupor. "You win the cooking round, I guess." He opened one eye, grinning, "But then I already knew you would." Rei shrugged superiorly, and Nagisa heaved himself forward, settling his arms on the table and propping his chin up with both hands as he stared up with a knowing smile. "…So how tough was it keeping yourself from griping at me every five seconds about my table manners?"

Rei deflated, lips pursing in irritation. "I wasn't—" But Nagisa just cocked his head to the side and quirked a brow knowingly, smile refusing to budge. "…Torture." Nagisa released a light bark of laughter, covering his mouth as his brows knit in amusement, and Rei sputtered, "B—but you'll notice I _didn't_ say anything. Nor would I have!" He'd practiced remarkable restraint and actually tried to take this evening seriously, as Nagisa seemed to be; he wouldn't stand his efforts being made light of. "Ridiculous" though the wager was, seeing things through to their end, not giving up, was one of his more charming points, he felt.

"Nah, you wouldn't have." Nagisa agreed easily, a soft smile playing at his lips; his usual energy had faded with the onset of evening, it seemed, making him appear almost like a different person entirely. If feeding Nagisa a filling meal was all it took to calm him down, then Rei would have to remember this in the future. Nagisa flicked his gaze down to the candles, their flames still dancing gently, and he offered, "Maybe you'll make it through the week after all."

"Of course I will," Rei agreed, his own focus drawn to watching Nagisa watch the candles. After losing himself for a moment, though, he cleared his throat and moved to clear away the table. "Shall I walk you to the station, then? Or can you find it on your own?"

Nagisa shot up straight, "Huh? You're supposed to invite me to spend the night!"

"Ex _cuse_ me?" Rei froze with one foot over the threshold to the kitchen, their bowls gripped in his hands. "Where did you get that ridiculous notion?"

"Because~" Nagisa reasoned, "We just finished a romantic dinner and your family's not gonna be back for another half hour. Isn't this supposed to be the part where you go—" And here, he dropped his voice to affect a laughable imitation of what he seemed to think Rei sounded like, " _'Nagisa—why don't we…head on upstairs to my room and…study?'_ " 

Rei regarded him with a blank stare, struggling to let the suggestion roll off his back, and decided to try instead for an attempt to humor Nagisa. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, shaking his head, "I'm afraid I'm too much of a gentleman to try something so uncouth on a first date."

Nagisa snorted though, "Says the guy who brought his date home and cooked a romantic dinner for them as a 'first date'!" Rei flushed and opened his mouth to protest that _Nagisa_ had been the one to demand a 'romantic dinner' in the first place, but Nagisa was already easing himself up, brushing himself off and making overtures to leave. "Fine~ fine~ I'll cut you a break today," he allowed, then shook a finger in Rei's face, scrunching up his features to reflect the gravity in his tone, "But you owe me another drink from the conbini in the morning for getting my hopes up!"

" _Getting your—_ " Rei choked out—but Nagisa was already toddling back into the hallway, ignoring him. "Wai— _Nagisa-kun_ ," he groaned.

"Hm?" He threw a glance behind him as he toed on his loafers. "Gonna give me a goodnight kiss?"

"Hardly," Rei snapped, arms crossed. "I did ask if you needed help getting to the station, though."

"Mmm, I can find my way back!" He slipped his bag over his shoulder. "…Unless you wanted to walk me?"

"Of cou—it's not that I _wanted_ to, it was a simple question, hardly an invitation to—" He stopped when Nagisa started laughing, though, easing against the handle to let himself out into the hallway. "…Much more of that and I'll dump you before the week is out."

Nagisa shook a finger, though. "Ah ah ah, this isn't about whether or not _you_ would want to date _me_ , Rei-chan. You're not allowed to dump me, no matter how annoying a boyfriend I might be!"

"How fortunate for you, then," Rei groused, but without much bite, and he stepped forward to hold the door open while he saw Nagisa off. "…I suppose I'll see you on the train then?" A nod, which Rei returned out of habit, pausing for a moment before adding, "…I'll buy you the drink, if you insist. But I won't miss another morning's jog just to satisfy your sweet tooth."

Nagisa's lips curled in on themselves. "I'll wear my tracksuit in the morning, then!"


	3. Wednesday morning, 8:07 AM ~ Wednesday evening, 5:29 PM

"And then she had the nerve to eat my yolk, even though she _knows_ I always save that for last 'cause it's my favorite part! And she hadn't even finished her own! She just reached over and snatched it up right off my plate _because she could_." He huffed loudly—but it was difficult to tell if the sound was born of indignation or sheer fatigue from their jog. "It sucks being the youngest sometimes…"

Rei paused here, reflecting that this was probably one of those moments where a proper boyfriend was supposed to cheer up his paramour, encourage them not to be down, explain that their smile brightened his day—and opting to refrain from mentioning the latter (even if he would freely admit to himself that Nagisa had a rather captivating way of lifting the moods of all those around him), he allowed hesitantly, "I'm...sure your sisters care for you in their own way."

"…Wow, you _obviously_ don't have any siblings who delight in torturing you as a past-time, Rei-chan." He checked his pace and slipped over closer to Rei until their hips brushed, reminding in a solemn tone. "A _girl's swimsuit_ , Rei-chan. Just remember that. These are not normal sisters I'm dealing with."

Rei pursed his lips. "Be that as it may—we sometimes tease those we care about in an effort to garner their attention."

Nagisa's eyes flashed in shock, nearly tripping over his own feet as they rounded a curve. "You _tease_ people?"

" _General_ 'we'." He sniffed superiorly. "I see no point in stooping to such tactics to gain attention."

"I dunno…" Nagisa allowed with a sly smile. "Gonna have to bring out the big guns to keep my eyes from wandering…" And when Rei turned a perplexed—and apparently offended—expression on him, he released a bark of laughter, nearly plowing into Rei and running him off the path into a mud-filled ditch down the bank. He snapped his hands out, burying his fingers in the fabric of Rei's jumper, and tugged him back. "Careful, careful! Geez, Rei-chan—how could you ever think I'd _cheat_ on my doting boyfriend?"

"I'm not—" Rei started, but recovered before Nagisa could cut him that steely warning glare he'd grown wary of, and cleared his throat. "I thought no such thing."

"Mmm, think you've got me wrapped around your little finger then?" Nagisa's brows wiggled, and Rei returned his focus ahead—maintaining silently that yes, indeed, there were people out there who resorted to teasing to gain attention from the object of their affections, and if Nagisa didn't recognize that, then it was just _willful ignorance_ at this point.

* * *

Nagisa still insisted on holding hands the final few hundred meters to school, attracting far more attention jogging hand-in-hand up through the campus gates than they might have doing either activity separately, but Rei took it as an opportunity to practice maintaining his cool, sealing off the urge to panic and shake Nagisa's hand away with a mental reminder that he needed to maintain poise and steel his nerves in all situations, that flailing about and biting off Nagisa's head was not only playing into his hands but _very_ not-beautiful, and if he couldn't manage such things out of the water, how was he to be expected to keep his head _in_ the water? This entire charade could even be taken as such an exercise—and he repeated his mental mantra not to allow the situation to exceed his control, to keep a rein on Nagisa and his antics and ride the waves rather than trying to swim against them.

He hadn't sold his soul to the boy, after all; it was a game, nothing more, simply a wager, a challenge, a competition—and the winner would be the one who maintained his cool where the other failed. He was _determined_ to be that person, come hell or high water.

But Nagisa was not making this easy.

"Geez, stop fidgeting," Nagisa groused, pinching Rei's thigh through the stiff fabric of his uniform pants, which only made Rei squirm even more. He cocked his head to the side to glare up, frown clearly visible in the shadow that Rei cast. "I can't get any sleep like this."

"Then perhaps," Rei ground out through grit teeth, "You should try napping somewhere else. Somewhere that is not _my lap_ , for example."

"Like Mako-chan's lap?"

Rei let his head slump forward with a defeated whimper. " _Why_ do you insist on ridiculous displays like this?"

Nagisa rolled over onto his back, neck supported on Rei's thigh as he traced the outlines of the fluffy clouds floating overhead with his finger. He'd insisted they find a new patch of rooftop to share for the remainder of their week together, reminding Rei that the honeymoon phase was the most important point in a new relationship, requiring that they spend an inordinate amount of time alone together—but Rei mostly suspected that the change of location had been because Nagisa wanted to do _this_ and knew Rei would flat-out refuse if they were somewhere people might see, even their understanding teammates. He'd already embarrassed himself enough in front of Haruka-sempai; Rei didn't relish the thought of sinking even further.

"You wouldn't let your partner use your lap as a pillow if they were tired?"

It didn't answer Rei's question, but he couldn't let the implication go unchallenged. "I would—consider it. If they needed it." He glanced away—and regretted it immediately, when he found himself meeting the gaze of two second-year girls watching them with grinning expressions as they chatted in muffled whispers. "I doubt you need it, though."

Nagisa frowned, flicking his gaze over to study Rei's face, and out of the corner of his eye, Rei thought he caught a flash of genuine irritation—but when he turned back, it was gone, a petulant pout all that remained. "I need it; gotta save up my strength for practice—and a recharge nap in Rei-chan's lap is just what the doctor ordered."

"Somehow I doubt that," Rei deadpanned, but Nagisa ignored him, sliding onto his side and nuzzling the material beneath his cheek insistently—eliciting a sigh from Rei as he settled back with his hands behind him and closed his own eyes. "You're just trying to milk me for all I'm worth."

"Nah," Nagisa reasoned, sleep edging his voice and words muffled in the fabric of Rei's pants, "You're worth way more than a lunchtime nap on the school roof." And it likely wasn't meant to be anything more than a teasing compliment, the kind Nagisa doled out by the boatload, but it still drew a bemused expression from Rei as he contemplated what exactly it meant that his heart did a little flip in his chest when Nagisa suggested things like that.

* * *

" _Nagisa-kun_."

"What?"

"I can assure you that X's value is not written on my face." Rei let the textbook he'd been flipping through in an effort to find the example they'd covered in class drop to the low table between them with a loud _smack_ , nearly toppling the glasses of tea Nagisa had poured as a peace offering after finally succeeding in convincing Rei to accompany him home under the pretense of needing to study. Rei assumed it was no more than pretense, naturally, because in the half hour that had passed thus far, he'd only managed to get Nagisa to pour two cups of oolong, set the air conditioner on its lowest setting, and scribble down the original equation he'd asked Rei's help with after practice in his notebook (with a passable depiction of a butterfly doodled in the margin, added when Rei had excused himself to use the facilities). 

Nagisa started, a light flush staining his cheeks, and he forced his gaze back to his own paper. "I wasn't—just, you said you'd help…" He trailed off, uncharacteristically flustered, and Rei blinked, feeling sheepish discomfort creeping over him as well. He'd meant the reprimand to remind Nagisa to focus on why he was here—study preparation for the upcoming end-of-semester exams that Nagisa was woefully underprepared for, if their progress thus far was anything to go by. What cause was there for Nagisa to react like that to a simple chastisement?

Nagisa licked his lips and nodded a few times in quick succession, directing his attention to the notebook with an expression that suggested he didn't even recall writing down the very equation staring back at him in the first place, and Rei sighed long-sufferingly, clearing the table between them and angling the notebook to allow them both easy access, quickly scribbling out the solution and narrating his work as he went along. Nagisa dutifully ducked a nod every few words, but his fingers stayed clenched in the pant material over his thighs, knuckles white, and at length, Rei paused in concern. "…Am I going too fast?"

Nagisa glanced up, eyes going wide. "Huh?"

"The explanation—I'm…" He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Are you quite all right?"

A flash of panic danced across Nagisa's features, and he quickly scrubbed his face as if attempting to physically wipe it away, before shaking his head insistently. "No—no no no, totally fine, sorry! Just—kind of spacing out! I think I'm tired…" He forced a grin, but Rei didn't bite.

"…Tired, even after commandeering my lap for an afternoon nap earlier, you mean?"

Nagisa's sheepish grin was more genuine this time around. "Don't offer it if you don't want me taking it, then!"

"I _didn't_ offer it—"

"You're the one who brought it up, though—"

"It was an _example_ —and one, I might add, of ridiculously cliched things married couples do." He snorted inelegantly. "I can't believe you actually took me up on it."

Nagisa lifted onto his knees, leaning over the low table and invading Rei's personal space. "Of course I took you up on it! Who knows when I'll get to use your lap as a pillow again!"

Rei cut him a sharp glance, leaning back to give himself breathing room. "N—never, if I have anything to say about it!"

"Never?"

Nagisa's expression melted into one so forlorn that Rei reflexively choked on his words and hastened to explain, "W—just, I certainly see no reason for that to…ever…"

Nagisa wrinkled his features in thought, brows drawing together as he rubbed his chin. "What about…if we're at a tournament or something, and I do really well in my stroke—like, fir—wait, no, second place? Second place or better in my heat!"

Rei pursed his lips, not liking the way this was going. "That's setting the bar rather low, don't you think?"

"Gimme a break, it's been a while since I competed!" He settled back onto his feet in _seiza_ with a pouting huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine—first place in my heat."

And before Rei could stop his mouth from moving, he was already bargaining, "Third or better _overall_." He nearly bit off his tongue before he'd gotten the last word out, swallowing a breath in shock—which Nagisa must have felt the same way about, for he openly gaped. Rei's mouth opened and closed a few times in quick succession as he groped for words to explain the rash promise, but Nagisa was already off and running.

"You promise, then?? Next tournament, if I make it to the podium in breaststroke, I get to use your lap as a pillow again?"

And what sort of _ridiculous_ bargain _was_ this? Had the summer heat just made Nagisa prone to suggesting outrageous wagers and entering into ludicrous agreements? And why was _Rei_ the one being looped into them? He gaped stupidly, mouth unable to former proper speech, and settled for a confused nod, which Nagisa met with a bright, excited, " _Yesss!_ ", the reasons for which Rei suspected he could not begin to fathom.

"Why…?"

The word was soft and nearly lost in the wake of Nagisa's celebratory humming and dancing while seated, but he startled, straightening up, when Rei spoke. "Huh?"

Rei could feel his glasses sliding down his nose, cocking his head in confusion and lifting his brows. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" And Nagisa's own confusion seemed so genuine, so innocent, that Rei second-guessed himself. What business was it of his? If he felt like giving Nagisa some insignificant goal to work toward, then he should just keep his head down and do so—and if he didn't feel like indulging, he should say as such. Nagisa was Nagisa—a strange breed of boy all his own—and any attempt to understand his inner workings was just going to result in more confusion in the end. Best to just roll with the punches and get through the week as agreed.

He shook his head, pursing his lips. "Never mind…" With a deep breath, he tapped the notebook between them with his pencil, demanding Nagisa's attention. "Shall we?" Nagisa followed his gesturing, nose wrinkling with irritation. "Don't give me that—I'm taking time away from my own studies to help you with yours; the least you can do is give me your full attention." He added for good measure, "On the _material_ this time, and not my face."

Nagisa looked decidedly uncomfortable—which boggled Rei; he could demand things like Rei's lap as a pillow or a romantic, candle-lit dinner, but being reminded he'd been caught spacing out while staring at Rei suddenly provoked _this_? "I—wasn't staring."

Rei raised a brow, incredulous and cool. "Oh, you weren't?"

"I mean—well, I was, yeah, but—" He rubbed at his nose, ducking his head. "It wasn't on purpose."

"…I'm not sure that's entirely relevant, Nagisa-kun," Rei responded after a moment's pause, and it wasn't a lie: Nagisa's captivation bore no relevance to the algebra equations giving them grief at the moment, even if it did elicit another one of those irritating little flips of the heart Rei was starting to notice more and more. "The point remains," he continued after collecting himself, "that your attention was not focused where it ought to be. Now, if we could continue?" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and loosened his tie with a sharp tug on the knot. "I could just as easily have left you to fend for yourself with this exam, so—"

Nagisa snorted, albeit without much mirth, and drew a sharp glance from Rei. "You _had_ to come. You can't let your boyfriend fail, after all."

Rei's breath froze in his chest—and his brows drew together slowly. "…You asked me here…because of our bargain?" And why did his voice have to sound so _accusing_ just now? Worse yet, why did he feel like he _wanted_ to accuse Nagisa of falling back on this ruse they were perpetuating rather than coming to Rei, friend to friend, and genuinely seeking aid in preparing for the upcoming testing period?

Nagisa's face lit up with shame and panic, "Wha—no! Of course n—" But he cut himself off, sitting straighter in place and face falling. "Wait—but I mean, didn't you come here…because of the agreement...?"

Rei grimaced, disgusted. "Hardly—a friend asked me for help. More so, a friend to whom I've found myself indebted in the past." Granted, explaining a few theorems didn't exactly go far to absolving someone of a life debt… "I felt a sense of duty…as well as desire to aid." His features softened as his disappointment seeped into his expression. "…I would have thought you'd have known that."

Had he truly been that lax in demonstrating his commitment to the team and his fondness for all of its members? Yes, he'd been more than a little loath to join Nagisa initially, but in his defense, Nagisa had gone about his recruitment efforts with little more finesse than Haruka-sempai, which was truly saying something, and even now Rei wondered at the series of events that had sparked within him the desire to shape his body and improve his form to somehow resemble the beauty he saw in Haruka-sempai, the power he saw in Makoto-sempai, and the sheer will and determination he saw in Nagisa.

"But…" Nagisa's head dipped sheepishly. "I just thought maybe…I was annoying you—"

"You do," Rei quipped, just sharp enough to get Nagisa's head to snap back up in hurt confusion so that he might more easily soothe his ruffled feathers with, "…but I don't necessarily dislike it." He shrugged. "I do believe you take after your sisters more than you might like."

Nagisa cocked his head, clearly not following. "You…really came because you wanted to, then? Not because of the bet?"

Rei pursed his lips into a thin line and picked up his pencil again. "Indeed. So do try and remember that you don't have to _lure_ me into your home in the future."

"That—I wasn't _luring_ you." His shoulders slumped, his usual energy flat and dull. "I just thought…you were only doing this because…you didn't have a choice."

And Rei had had quite enough; while a calmer Nagisa would definitely make tutoring go more smoothly, not having to interrupt their studies every five minutes with Nagisa making a snack run to the kitchen or answering a text or trying to surreptitiously snap a two-shot, it tended to sap the life from the air between them, leaving Rei antsy and uncomfortable. He tossed the pencil down to the table, struggling to his feet and dragging Nagisa up with him, hands held out between them as he waited patiently for Nagisa to place his palms flush against Rei's own. When he obliged, confused, after a moment's consideration, blinking blankly back and forth between Rei's serious countenance and the upturned hands waiting for his own, Rei curled his fingers about Nagisa's wrist to hold him in place, sighing softly.

"I won't pretend to know what's come over you, or why you seem so loath to believe me capable of offering a friend my aid in whatever capacity I can manage—"

"So serious, Rei-chan~" Nagisa tried lightly, but his forced smile fell when Rei only hardened his expression.

"—but I _am_ a man of honor, and whether it be holding fast to my agreement to…well, _do this_ with you for the duration of our agreed-upon week, or help a friend and teammate out of the goodness of my heart when he's in obvious need, I will do what I believe to be the right thing." He sniffed superiorly. "Besides, I believe a relationship is about communication; if I had truly not been inclined to tutor you, I would have said as such. Even if you would have likely succeeded in bullying me to give in eventually as you always do." He raised a knowing brow, and Nagisa smiled nervously—but with genuine amusement. Rei huffed. "So do stop doubting me, won't you?"

Nagisa let his gaze drop to the side, but his smile stayed put this time, nerves bleeding into comfort and acceptance, and he squeezed Rei's hand back weakly. "…Hope you're ready to take responsibility for that, then."

Rei wasn't entirely sure he understood what that entailed—but Nagisa had done a fine job taking responsibility for him so far, so he supposed turnabout was fair play.


	4. Thursday morning, 8:03 AM ~ Thursday afternoon, 3:37 PM

Thursday dawned bright and terrible as Rei dragged himself out of bed, considerably more drained than usual and chalking the entire thing up to how long this week was feeling. It was Thursday…but it felt like Monday had been _ages_ ago by now. 

In truth, the bet was beginning to weigh on him. He felt he'd more than demonstrated by now that he embodied all of the virtues of a good boyfriend: he'd given in to Nagisa's most every whim, cooked for him, tutored him (though that had admittedly not been part of the deal), held hands (albeit grudgingly), even treated him to the hideously sweet beverages and snacks from the school shop of which Nagisa seemed so fond. He'd gone out of his way to make Nagisa happy, and had—surprisingly enough—found _himself_ rather enjoying the effort along the way.

But three days in, now, and he wasn't sure where to go from here—already his phone beeped at him, alerting him to a dozen new text messages from Nagisa delivered at odd hours of the late evening and early morning. The most recent carried a cheery emoticon-filled _Good morning!_ and reminder that Nagisa would be waiting for him at their usual stop in his running gear should they miss their connection on the train that morning. 

He frowned; jogging in the mornings with Nagisa since engaging in this childish bet had taken on a sense of shame for some reason. Not because he was embarrassed to be seen with Nagisa—they'd done much more embarrassing things than jog side-by-side in the past few days, after all—but more because…he was somehow more _conscious_ of Nagisa running next to him.

The way their breathing unconsciously synched, the way he could feel the rising heat of Nagisa's body radiating through his own gear, the way Nagisa's soft chatter about the most inane topics became pleasant background noise to the exercise, the way he found himself glancing over unsolicited, trying to glimpse Nagisa's profile out of the corner of his eye and jerking his gaze forward again when Nagisa eventually noticed his attentions.

Yes, shame. He didn't know why he felt it, didn't know how to go about resolving it—but it was there all the same, and he felt almost _dirty_ for entertaining such thoughts with an activity that, until recently, he'd otherwise enjoyed.

The sooner this whole fiasco ended—naturally, with Nagisa's eventual admission that Rei would indeed make someone a fine boyfriend some day—the sooner he could get back to uncomplicated figures and jogging without distraction. They could return to just being teammates, no more to one another than they were to Makoto-sempai or Haruka-sempai. Friends, not boyfriends—not even really _best_ friends (though when he thought about it, what closer friend did he really have than Nagisa? Even if they didn't bare their souls to one another, didn't that make him _by default_ Rei's "best friend"?). Nagisa would just be…Nagisa-kun. Everything was better that way.

* * *

Rei ducked a polite nod at the cashier who greeted them as they stepped into the convenience store, soft muzak piping through the aisles as he watched Nagisa rush past him toward the freezer cases in the back. Rei sighed and shook his head, plodding along dutifully behind and preparing himself to have to peel Nagisa's face off the glass he'd likely have it pressed against. "We shouldn't dawdle too long; you'll need to finish whatever we buy before we hit the campus grou—"

But Nagisa wasn't in the back of the store, was nowhere near the frozen treats, in fact. He was one aisle over, a devious glint in his eyes as he peeked at Rei over the shelves. Rei stepped forward, his height helping him in his efforts to loom imperiously over Nagisa and redirect his attentions to the reason they'd taken this detour in the first place: finding some ridiculous iced confection to satisfy Nagisa's morning sweet-tooth. 

He furrowed his brow, peering over the shelves and glaring down at Nagisa. "We really don't have time to browse; hurry up and pick something so we can—" But Nagisa just waved something teasingly in Rei's face, the nondescript silver packaging disguising its contents. Rei attempted to bat the hand away with a huffy, "Honestly, Nagisa-kun, we need to—"

" _Condoms_ , Rei-chan! Hah!" He snatched back the package in question—the convenience store's name-brand, it seemed—and adopted a thoughtful pose, teasing, "Maybe we should get some of _these_ instead…"

Rei flushed a deep cherry red, his ears burning, and he darted around the endcap to block Nagisa bodily from view by other shoppers in the tiny store. "P—put those away _this instant_!" he hissed frantically, steam practically pouring from his ears, and made a grab for the package—which Nagisa jerked out of his reach, waving it around.

"What if we _need them_ though?" he leered, brows raised—then froze, his expression going stiff, at the sound of giggling from behind him. He tossed a glance over his shoulder, finding two girls in Iwatobi High uniforms chattering under their breath to one another and casting knowing glances at the two of them.

" _Nagisa-kun_!" Rei moaned in despair as he caught sight of the girls too, and taking advantage of Nagisa's distraction, he lunged again for the condoms, managing to grab them this time and hastily stuffing them back alongside the remaining packages. "Can't believe—absolutely _mortifying_ —just a good thing we weren't wearing our uniforms— _fuck_."

He closed his eyes, clenching them shut in frustration, and let his head fall against a nearby pillar. He rarely cursed, but there was adrenaline flooding his veins, blood flushing his cheeks and ears, and his fingers wouldn't stop shaking. He could feel Nagisa staring at him, could almost hear the concerned, _Rei-chan…_ on his lips, and cut him off with, "Just—get whatever you want and let's get out of here."

This was beyond the pale; it was one thing to be goaded into holding hands or allowing his lap to be used as a pillow—but insinuating such crude things as _that_ , and in _public_? That was completely uncalled for, and tease though he knew Nagisa to be, he hadn't thought him so inconsiderate as to embarrass Rei so thoroughly simply because of this ridiculous wager. 

Something brushed the jacket of his tracksuit—fingers, gently gripping his arm and shaking him for attention. "I'm sorry?" 

But Rei was not ready for an apology, much less to forgive, and stormed out, making a break for the exit without purchasing anything with Nagisa's frantic, "Wai—Rei-chan?!" ringing in his ears.

* * *

Nagisa spent the rest of the long walk to the campus continuing to pour apologies into Rei's ears, teasing and playful at first, obviously believing that Rei simply hadn't appreciated his poor-taste joke, but with growing contrition as Rei's demeanor darkened and the school gates came into view. There would be no holding hands as they walked to class today, no laps to nap in during lunch break, no promises to meet up again after school for tutoring or an impromptu dinner.

Rei kept his lips sealed even as they wandered into the front foyer, other students milling about as they traded their running shoes for indoor slippers, and Rei resolutely ignored Nagisa—successfully so—for another few moments before being lured into making eye contact when Nagisa, after having fallen silent and seemingly given up, released a soft, "Ah!" of surprise when he opened his shoe locker to retrieve his slippers.

He opened his mouth to reflexively ask what was wrong—had he forgotten something? Rei was sure he'd made certain Nagisa had finished all of the math problems they'd been assigned to review the night before—but paused, thought better of it, and pursed his lips again. Nagisa caught the action, though—but rather than brightening with genuine relief that he'd been able to draw a reaction from Rei and break the silent treatment (albeit unintentionally), he instead pasted on what was obviously a fake smile, shook his head, and hastily removed his slippers, turning his back to Rei and effectively ending any efforts at conversation that might have been attempted.

Well, all was for the best. He was nowhere near ready to forgive Nagisa for the stunt at the convenience store, didn't want to hear his air-headed explanations and excuses any more this morning, and with a loud slam of his shoe locker, he stepped up into the hallway proper and left Nagisa to finish strapping on his slippers himself.

It was hardly something that required the watchful eye of a boyfriend to see through to completion, after all.

* * *

Rei remained cold to Nagisa through morning classes—not that they ever really chatted much to begin with; Nagisa would try, occasionally tossing tiny paper balls at Rei's head to get his attention before making an absurd face, but Rei was usually able to maintain his cool. Today, though, Nagisa must have seen the futility in any such attempts and wisely kept to his own studies, which was perfectly fine by Rei. Perhaps the silence would force him to review the inappropriateness of his actions.

It hadn't just been the prophylactics; it hadn't just been the lewd teasing. It had been the condoms, the teasing, the close quarters, the leering, and the way those girls had looked at them, expressions scandalized because they were _boys_ —boys who'd been seen wandering about holding hands and sleeping in each other's laps—and they were looking at _condoms_ now. It was easy enough to brush off Nagisa's enthusiastic teasing at school when it was harmless skinship—Nagisa acted like that with most everyone, really—but…this was different.

It was different—because it was starting to wax uncomfortably close to the parts of the wager Rei was beginning to realize he really did not like. Nagisa with a playfully hooded gaze asking Rei if he thought he was a _large_ or an _extra-large_ was not something he could deal with just now when he was already having issues divining why his breath started coming faster now when Nagisa brushed against him on every other step during their jogs, messy hair pulled into a topknot so it didn't get in his eyes, or why he'd balked for the first time since they'd met when Nagisa had asked him to rub sunscreen onto his back the previous afternoon during practice. He'd done these things, seen these sights a hundred times before…and suddenly just because they were feigning lovers, it all took on some new meaning? Preposterous.

Nagisa was Nagisa—wild and free and utterly inappropriate as much as frustratingly endearing. To read more into his actions, especially given the circumstances, was folly—and besides, Rei had no interest in such…practices. He was not some unfortunate character in those trashy romance manga that dotted the shelves of those illicit sections of bookstores their female classmates liked to loiter about after school; he was simply a boy with a passable butterfly stroke and a preoccupation with beauty who found rather striking examples of the latter in his teammates (some more than others of late).

Lunch came and went; Nagisa left the room without a passing glance at Rei before he could so much as wonder how they were going to get through the awkward rest period together, saving him the trouble. Rei opted to take his lunch indoors, picking through the rather uninteresting bentou and wondering if he should have perhaps gone up to the rooftop with Haruka-sempai and Makoto-sempai. He might have run into Nagisa if he had, though, and thought better of it.

Nagisa was back in his seat just before the bell, shoulders stiff as he fingered a folded piece of paper worriedly, and Rei frowned when he caught this out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't like Nagisa to fidget; he was all or nothing, either bouncing off the walls or sharp and still with focus. Twice he caught himself almost asking after the paper, but both times he balked before opening his mouth; there were other matters to address first.

He resolved to let Nagisa try apologizing again just before the end of afternoon lessons. He wouldn't be able to keep his chilly demeanor up around Nagisa during practice without the others catching on, and that would only lead to uncomfortable inquiries. Their teammates thought the bet quirky and quaint when it was innocent enough; Nagisa bringing _that_ into it would instantly turn all their amusement on its head, just as surely as it had done Rei.

But Nagisa didn't try—the final bell tolled to release the students to after-school activities, and Nagisa sat glumly at his desk, fingering the folded up piece of paper. Rei silently gathered his things, watching their classmates file out from the corner of his eye while keeping his focus on Nagisa just behind and to the rear. Nagisa was usually difficult to ignore, but today…today he was making it all too easy.

Rei stood, slinging the strap of his backpack over one shoulder and staring down at Nagisa, expression a blank mask because he well and truly didn't know how to approach Nagisa just now. He decided to just keep things short and pithy: "…I'm going down to the pool to change." If Nagisa wanted to come along, that was fine; if he wanted to sit here alone in the empty classroom with his thoughts, whatever they might be, that was fine too.

With a final sour look, Rei pushed up his glasses and turned on his heel, marching for the door—but he only got a few steps before his temper piqued and his hands fisted at his side, biting out, " _Well_? Don't you have something to say to me?"

He could almost _feel_ Nagisa's head perking up, brows lifting and jaw dropping just enough to let out a soft, confused, "Eh…?"

"Your behavior this morning," he ground out, feeling his features flush once again, this time with irritation. He knew Nagisa to be honest, knew he never teased to wound and was generally quite the genuine sort—and this was how he knew the guy wasn't playing dumb here. Which meant he'd either been caught off guard by the abrupt demand for an apology…or had long since moved past feeling the need to give one in the first place. "It was utterly…" He trailed off when no response was forthcoming, snapping a glance over his shoulder, " _Well_?"

There was a harsh screech of metal over linoleum as Nagisa shover his chair back, hands coming down on the desk top with a loud slap. "Y—you're gonna forgive me?" His eyes were wide and hopeful, steeped in childish expectation. He could see now how Nagisa had wormed his way under the skin of even someone like Haruka-sempai in his youth.

Rei's brows furrowed with discomfort, altogether unaccustomed to such fervent attentions from Nagisa. Enthusiasm he could handle, hare-brained schemes he put up with, but this kind of intense _hope_ , like Rei could make or break him… "I never…said I would forgive you." Nagisa visibly wilted, gaze dropping in defeat, and Rei hastened to clarify, "Just—you haven't even apologized yet!"

"I have! I apologized, like, _fifty_ times!"

"Then try apologizing and _meaning it_!" Rei let his bag slip off his shoulder, sending it plummeting to the ground with a loud thunk, and marched over to Nagisa, only halting when he'd drawn close enough to loom over him, one hand on the back of Nagisa's chair and the other on his desk. "I'll not be made a fool of, understand? I'm taking this seriously, so I'll thank you to do the same."

"I…am taking it seriously." It was testament to the gravity of the situation that Nagisa clearly knew what _it_ was without Rei having to remind him once again of why they were in this predicament in the first place. "I am, honest."

Rei locked eyes with him intentionally for the first time that day, relief flooding through him after purposefully avoiding doing so for so long. "…I'm afraid I don't quite believe you. You haven't exactly behaved as such." Nagisa's brows drew together, confusion washing over his features, and Rei added. "Regardless, please don't do anything like that again. I don't…like being teased like that in public." 

He half expected Nagisa to retort with that usual devilish glint _so I can do it in private then??_ —but what came instead was, "…I promise I won't."

He wasn't sure why that came as something of a disappointment—and his confusion on this point caused him to forget about the folded note entirely.


	5. Friday morning, 8:29 AM ~ Friday afternoon, 4:22 PM

However fervently Nagisa might have sought his forgiveness, though, Rei remained loath to so easily let Nagisa's behavior in the convenience store go, and so, after a rather stilted practice in which they both walked on eggshells around each other, they parted ways with hesitant good-byes and no promise to meet again in the morning. 

Their silence lasted through the night and into the next day, and—still irrationally irritated despite Nagisa's clear desire to mend fences—Rei purposefully stepped up his morning routine and took an earlier train to campus in an effort to avoid having to see Nagisa first thing in the morning. It worked, and Rei was spared having to make awkward eye contact with his erstwhile boyfriend until mere moments before the bell sounded for morning announcements and greetings. 

Nagisa clattered into his seat, panting and flushed and altogether distracted, not even glancing Rei's way; he'd expected a sound dressing down, whining along the lines of _why didn't you wait for me?_ or _weren't we supposed to jog together?_ but none came. He remained distracted, going through the motions of morning activities and lessons with evident lack of focus (or well, even less focus than Nagisa generally gave his work) and a haze of exhaustion hanging over him.

Rei felt a stab of guilt with every surreptitious glance, but kept his head down. Even if he wanted to inquire about Nagisa's state, even if he wanted to try and reconcile, they were in the middle of class—and when Nagisa's condition seemed only to deteriorate as the day dragged on, Rei felt with growing discomfort that he would have to be the one to bend, to set aside pride and approach Nagisa himself. Nagisa had, after all, already gone out of his way to seek penance, and even Rei had to admit he was only being difficult, his bruised pride demanding recompense.

So he had every intention of lending Nagisa his lap as a peace offering during lunch—with perhaps a reminder that any good boyfriend would forgive his partner's momentary lapses in decorum, in an effort to further solidify his position in Nagisa's eyes—except Nagisa slipped out of the classroom before he could corral him with an invitation, darting off and down the hall (to the school shop, perhaps for one of those sweet pastries he seemed so fond of?). He failed to return in the following five minutes, nor was he back in the next ten, forcing Rei to take his meal in solitude, and it was only again just moments before the bell signaling the start of afternoon lectures that he slipped back into his seat, looking harried as ever and fumbling with something in his hand.

That slip of paper again.

Rei frowned at the scrap, remembering how it had shaken Nagisa the previous afternoon, how he'd fiddled with it, folding it open and shut and mouthing the words written on it to himself, keeping it resolutely hidden from Rei. And that, in and of itself, was cause for concern. Was he perhaps being blackmailed? In some sort of trouble? Had he been sent a rude message? Had their ruse gone too far and garnered more trouble than it was worth, now?

With each passing hour, his thoughts grew darker, molehill possibilities heaping into mountains in his mind, exacerbated by Nagisa's strange behavior and general air of unease. He vowed silently to resolve whatever the issue was before practice that afternoon—he wouldn't have the others side-eyeing them two days in a row, and in this state, they were only dragging their teammates down—and before Nagisa could dart off again after class was dismissed for the day, as he seemed keen to do, Rei stalked over and laid a firm hand on his shoulder, demanding attention.

Nagisa visibly jerked, hand immediately coming up to slap Rei away, but he froze when he realized who had grabbed him, and a forced smile was on his lips instantly. "H—Hey, Rei-chan…" Rei was unmoved, though, frown resolute, and Nagisa's own mask faltered. "Ah—oh, listen, for practice today…" He licked his lips and glanced away. "I'm…not feeling well. I think I'm gonna head straight home."

Rei narrowed his gaze—this was getting out of hand. He needed to resolve things before they escalated any further. He tried to force his face into a more understanding expression. "If…you can spare the time, before that…I'd like to speak with you. I…am aware we left things rather tense after yesterday, and—"

"I'm really sorry, Rei-chan!" Nagisa interrupted, palms slapping together in a penitent gesture. "I really, really need to go home, though! I'm honestly not feeling well!" And with that—he was gone in a flash of gold, shaking off Rei's hand and shoving past him, still-open bag slapping against his side. 

Rei choked on his own words in offense, staring mutely, before clenching his jaw and shoving his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and setting off after Nagisa—he had a longer stride and determination fueling him; Nagisa wouldn't get far.

He stepped out of the classroom, listening for the slap of shoes against linoleum in the empty halls—but caught nothing. No matter; Nagisa would need to change shoes before exiting the building, and with confidence, he strode resolutely down the hall, headed for the shoe boxes lining the entrance. 

But all he found were other students milling about, the soft buzz of students' chatter mingling with the clanging slam of the shoe lockers. Rei frowned to himself—had he missed him?—and quickly sought out Nagisa's box, tugging it open to find his sneakers in their usual place. Which meant he was still somewhere in the building. Oh yes—it was time for Detective Rei to take up another case, it seemed.

With all the skill of what he felt could only be described as a rather graceful ninja, he slipped down the empty hallways, training his ears for Nagisa's characteristic high-pitched giggle or the slap of slippers on tile and kept his eyes peeled for a flash of blond or some gaudy, obscene Iwatobi-chan strap hanging from a schoolbag.

He scoured the first-year classes on the third floor, asking any other students he came in contact with still lingering in the halls if they'd seen Nagisa—but none were able to help, and he had similarly dismal luck with the second- and first-floor classrooms. Haruka-sempai and Makoto-sempai were probably already changing for practice, and their absence would be keenly noted. Whatever was going through Nagisa's mind, they needed to sort it out _stat_.

He came to an almost comical screeching halt turning a corner to hit up the art and music rooms—finding Nagisa at last in an abandoned stretch of hallway. And he wasn't alone.

She wasn't one of their classmates, but Rei had seen her before. Their school wasn't too terribly large—certainly not on the scale of Iwatobi West, at least—and school assemblies offered ample time to scope out the lay of the land.

Nagisa and the girl were speaking in low, hushed tones—or well, Nagisa was, at least, but the girl seemed rather upset, frantic almost even, and Rei strained his ears to catch their conversation, tamping down the niggling reminder that eavesdropping was most definitely not beautiful, that Nagisa had purposefully tried to give him the slip to retreat here, out of the way, for whatever discussion he was having with this girl.

"…st really, I…can't." Nagisa's voice was low and calm, but there was a note of impatience to it that Rei rarely heard. Nagisa was usually rather forthright with his emotions, unabashedly letting others know when he was bored or irritated. 

"But…" Her tone was constricted by confusion, words tripping over her tongue. "Won't you just…think about it?"

"I have," Nagisa responded firmly, and Rei tentatively glanced around the corner he was crouched behind, the angle hiding him from the girl's view and the fact that Nagisa's back was to him sparing him discovery on that front, and watched Nagisa's fists clench tight. "…I'm already seeing someone."

There was a pause, and then a delighted gasp, and suddenly the girl sounded her relief with a soft chuckle. "Ah, oh—oh yes, right! I understand!" She took a moment to compose herself, fingers sliding down the pleats of her skirt. "I'll wait, then!"

And Nagisa's voice was cool, so cool as to be almost _cold_ —and it sent a shiver down Rei's spine; it wasn't beautiful at all—or it shouldn't have been, but it still froze him in place, made him sit up and take notice. " _Wait_ …?"

The girl's cheeks flushed, ignorant to the chill in Nagisa's tone and excitement seeping into her voice. "I heard from Hana-chan—she said Gou-chan mentioned something…about a bet?" She cocked her head, trying to force eye contact for reassurance. "A joke, between you and Ryuugazaki-kun, right?" She clasped her hands together and began fidgeting when Nagisa failed to find the humor in the situation. "I think it's terribly amusing, you know? Ryuugazaki-kun looks like such fun to tease, and you must be very close with him to be able to—"

"So like I said," Nagisa interrupted evenly, "…I'm seeing someone right now." He seemed to belatedly remember he had a mask to maintain, and added with more good humor, "…So, sorry? I appreciate the intention, but…I can't." No mentioned of _maybe later_ , no _not right now_ , and Rei felt a pit form in his stomach, discomfort clutching at his chest.

It wasn't right. It wasn't right for Nagisa to play with someone like that. If he didn't care for her, he needed to say as such, not blame his being otherwise unavailable on their ridiculous game. This poor girl had worked up the courage to confess to him—had gone to lengths to even pen what had apparently been a love letter. She'd put herself out there…and Nagisa was hiding from doing what needed to be done behind their 'relationship'.

She'd done a rather brave thing, approaching Nagisa like that. Rei had nothing but respect for people who took that leap of faith and tried to grab a bit of happiness for themselves, knowing that there was all the chance in the world they'd just fall back to earth, alone and broken. For Nagisa to treat someone who truly had feelings for them like this…it just wasn't right.

There was a soft, muttered apology, and the loud _slam_ of a door being slung open and falling shut again—the girl had fled into the music room, and now Nagisa stood alone in the hall, collecting himself for a moment before slowly dragging his feet to head back down the hall.

He'd just rounded the corner when Rei had had quite enough, slumped against the wall with arms crossed over his chest and gaze hard behind his glasses. "Nagisa-kun."

Nagisa very nearly leapt in place, skittering back to press himself against the far wall in shock. "R—Rei-chan…?!" he babbled, face flushed and brows knit in confusion and despair. Rei couldn't blame him; he'd be feeling the same if he'd just done something so reprehensible to someone who'd bared their soul to him like that. "What…are you…" he started, before catching the full weight of Rei's gaze, his own gaze falling to the wayside when he failed to maintain the strength to face him square on. "…You saw?"

"Only because you were behaving so suspiciously all day." He deepened his frown. "If I'd known it was for something like this—I would have given you your space." Nagisa's lips twisted strangely, like he couldn't decide if he wanted to grimace or sneer. "…It was none of my business."

"So what are you doing here, then?" Nagisa muttered, but it sounded less offended and more just defeated. "It wasn't exactly my finest moment."

"Indeed," Rei agreed. "Not beautiful at all." And lest Nagisa think he was amused by the situation, making a joke, he continued with, "…I must say I'm disappointed in you."

Nagisa's head shot up, his eyes going wide and frightened. "Wai—what?" He seemed to wrack his mind for the cause of Rei's attitude, "But—I turned her down? I told you I was taking this seriously! And I am—wasn't that proof enough? I wasn't going to two-time you; I mean she was really nice, and cute, but I'm going out with you right now, and besides, she's not the one I—"

" _That_ ," Rei interrupted, pushing off from the wall he'd been leaning against and looming over Nagisa. He didn't have the presence to be intimidating, but he did have the height, and he needed it right now. "I realize I sound like I'm contradicting myself, but when I asked for you to take this seriously, I didn't mean for you to place our ridiculous agreement over someone else's _honest_ feelings." He waved a hand in the direction of the music room. "She clearly had feelings for you, worked herself up to confess—and you…" He shook his head, dark emotion choking off his words. He took a deep breath. "You _hid_ behind me—"

"I didn't!" Nagisa snapped, a high flush pinking his cheeks that spoke of irritation, anger, and frustration, and _oh_ his fists were clenched again, but instead of his voice going all ice and frost, it was chafing and rubbing over itself with effort. "I didn't, Rei-chan!" And here his brows knit together again in that desperate, endearing way that begged forgiveness. It wasn't fair how _good_ he was at plying others' emotions like this. "You told me to take it seriously—and I am! I _have been_! I'm loyal!" Here, he stamped his foot impatiently, the action making him appear far younger than his 16-odd years. "I didn't say I don't two-time just to get out of having to reject her directly. I said it because it's _true_. Even if it's just a bet, even then…" He was starting to lose steam, his resolve openly wavering. "Even so, just for this week, we're together, so…I'm not going to let anyone else think I'm not taking it seriously. Not even you." His expression weakened. "…Or did you want me to tell her I'd go out with her?"

"That's—" Rei stepped back neck and ears heating. "Of course not—I mean, that's your decision, but—" He pressed his glasses up his nose, affecting an unruffled mien. "I don't appreciate the notion of being trotted out as an excuse for you not to be honest with someone openly expressing their affections for you—"

"I was being honest. I _was_ ," Nagisa repeated, and this time it was he who advanced on Rei, hemming him in until his back connected with the wall and leaning up and into Rei's space. "I didn't lie. I'm seeing you right now, and I didn't really like her treating it like a joke, like she could just wait us out."

And Rei wanted to snap that that's _exactly_ what they were, though: one great big joke, a foolish bet started because Rei couldn't take the blow to his pride that was Nagisa's insinuation he'd be a terribly dull boyfriend, too busy nitpicking to proffer affection (but truthfully, had he done much of late to relieve Nagisa of that misconception?). He wanted to remind Nagisa that really, all she _did_ have to do was wait them out, that come Monday, she'd be able to pursue Nagisa's affections in earnest, and he could return them (or not, as he pleased) without the chain of this wager hanging off of him.

But he couldn't—not when he'd just spent the last nearly two days pissed at Nagisa for doing the same, not when he'd pressed Nagisa to take their situation more seriously, and while he'd really mostly meant to _take it seriously_ it in the sense of behaving in a more appropriate manner, it was clear Nagisa had taken him at his word, intending to see this relationship through to its swift-approaching end.

Nagisa was being a far better man than he. Nagisa…was being a far better boyfriend than he.

He was losing. In more ways than one.

He swallowed thickly. "…Very well, then." A flash of panic streaked over Nagisa's features at this, and Rei hastened to add, "I understand, I…believe you." And just as quickly, relief replaced the panic, features brightening and sending up a flutter of something much like butterflies in Rei's stomach. "…I apologize for following you."

"And?" Nagisa prodded.

"And…for not trusting you."

" _And_?" he pressed again, a pout visibly working itself onto his lips.

Rei flushed. "I—what else must I apologize for? You're the one getting called out into empty hallways for illicit encounters!" Which, when he put it like that, he was quite certain that, under the terms of their _very serious_ agreement, he was entirely entitled to feeling irritated with Nagisa. "If you're so very adamant about behaving as if we're well and truly dating, you should have been discussing this with me from the beginning, not hiding it!"

"Ah!" he gasped, one hand coming up to cover his mouth daintily. "Rei-chan, were you jealous??"

"I—absolutely not!" he sputtered incredulously. And it was mostly true, though admittedly he'd been so overly concerned with what he understood to be appalling behavior on Nagisa's part and sheer pity for the poor girl that he hadn't had much opportunity to dwell on his own feelings.

After all, it wasn't his place to _have_ feelings. This wasn't _about_ feelings. This was about demonstrating that he could be a perfect gentleman, could make his partner feel appreciated, respected—love would come about naturally when the chemistry was there in a _real_ relationship, and Rei doubted fluttering unease that let him feeling a bit nauseated and inappropriate reactions to skinship proffered under the guise of romance were anything to go penning poetry about. This wager was the closest he'd come to anything resembling a real _relationship_ in…quite possibly ever (those elementary school crushes didn't count), and if he couldn't be mature enough to behave as he ought to within the confines of their wager without getting carried away…then this was not going to end well.

"I wasn't," he repeated almost petulantly, and for once, Nagisa chose not to tease or press him for elaboration.

Instead, he simply smiled strangely, expression not entirely readable—which was odd, since Nagisa was usually rather open with how he felt. "Might've been nice, if you had been." He shrugged to himself and twirled on the ball of one foot, snatching up Rei's hand in the process and dragging him along. "Time for practice!" Rei allowed himself to be hauled off with minimal protest on this one occasion, struggling to catch up so that they might walk _together_. "Oh!" Nagisa paused in place, and Rei was forced to do the same, irritation at yet another delay rising; Gou-san was going to be livid.

"What?"

"Tomorrow."

"…What about tomorrow?"

"You can make it up to me tomorrow."

Rei's brows furrowed. "Make _what_ up to you? I believe I already outlined that _you_ were in the wrong for keeping the note from me—"

But Nagisa waved him off. "I'll make up for that later, then; think about what you want! But you totally ditched me this morning!" He looked only a breath away from puffing out his cheeks in irritation like a toddler, and Rei recoiled. "So you have to make it up to me!"

Rei's frown was unmoved, but he couldn't deny the point Nagisa had. He _had_ behaved rather immaturely, and if this was going to reflect poorly on their wager, he needed to at least be able to argue he'd attempted to make amends. "…All right then, and just how do you propose I do that?"

Nagisa's eyes positively _glittered_. "We've gotta go on a date! A _real_ date!"


	6. Saturday morning, 11:02 AM ~ Saturday evening, 7:17 PM

Saturday could've been ripped from the pages of a shoujo manga, so bright and picturesque was the weather for going out on a date. Fluffy white clouds floating high over the heads of passersby in a sea of brilliant blue, a cool breeze that further tempered the already-dipping temperatures of summer as the season waxed into autumn, and a wallet full of the allowance he'd dipped into rather than keeping it in reserve for a spare pair of prescription goggles (those he could use as a birthday request in another few months)—there was little more anyone could ask for on this fine morning. 

"Rei-chan, whadya think?" Nagisa held up a knee-length pair of trunks for inspection, giving the material a shake to highlight the black fabric with thick red piping, before bringing it flush against himself and craning his neck to get a good look at how it suited him. "No good?"

Rei lifted a brow. "…Don't you already have one just like it?"

Nagisa shuffled over to a full-length mirror, cocking his head in consideration. "Close—but Haru-chan's got, like, _seven_ that all look alike. He says they all feel different on him—maybe this one'll feel different too. Maybe it'll help me swim faster!" Before Rei could comment on the absurdity of his logic, he tossed back with a wave, "I'm gonna go try it on, be right back!"

Rei watched him dart into the changing are with a fond smile and a soft huff before turning back to browsing the racks. Doing most any activity with Nagisa could prove draining, as Rei had learned through experience, and shopping in this retail swim center was proving no exception—but Rei was starting to pick up on the little tricks to navigating Nagisa's moods, learning just what he could use as a carrot on a stick to guide Nagisa in whichever direction he pleased. Or perhaps Nagisa had simply taken pity on him and had been dropping hints—regardless, he knew that he need not hurry Nagisa along, that Nagisa would finish when his cash flow dried up, and while he might try and wheedle an extra set of earplugs out of Rei ("Because it's a _date_!" " _Nagisa-kun._."), he wouldn't _honestly_ expect Rei to foot every little bill and would take as much pride in treating Rei ("Well, I _am_ older, after all. You're kind of my kouhai that way, so it's only natural!" " _Nagisa-kun._ ") as being treated himself on this outing.

He whipped out his cell phone, tapping through the home screen and into the scheduling app, where he'd spent much of the previous evening drafting his 'battle plan', as it were—it simply wouldn't do for him as the candidate perfect boyfriend not to be 120% prepared for their outing. They'd met up precisely on time at their usual station (Rei had been early of course, and Nagisa's _were you waiting long?_ had been perfectly cliched), heading straight into the shopping district of the nearest town of any respectable size and starting their date with a shopping excursion at a swim shop. Next, they'd take a stroll around the aquarium until they worked up an appetite, where they'd enjoy lunch at a food court—Rei's treat of course—before hitting up a gaming arcade where Rei would pretend to be enthusiastic about the _purikura_ Nagisa would insist they take together (likely decorated with all manner of garish, gaudy bric-a-brac) . They'd then rest their weary legs for an hour, hour and a half in a movie theater (probably another heartwarming tale intended for audiences half their age; Nagisa had strange taste), and then the evening would end with dinner at a cafe with strawberry shortcake—Nagisa's favorite—for dessert.

The _perfect_ date, tailored to Nagisa's every likely whim.

He snapped the phone shut again with a confident smirk, muttering under his breath with no small amount of pride, "Sometimes I wish I could date myself…"

"And deny me the pleasure?" Nagisa poked his head out around from behind Rei, brows lifted teasingly, and he quickly scurried around to give Rei the full view. "So? I totally get what Haru-chan was saying! It definitely feels different! It's…springier!" He bounced on the balls of his feet, lifting up and down a few times, clearly waiting for Rei to offer an opinion—and like a good boyfriend, he did not disappoint.

He took a measured step back, assessing the suit—it had much the same snug-but-not-tight fit and clung smartly to Nagisa's legs, blending seamlessly so as to reduce drag, and it didn't gap in the back. But the maker was the same as Nagisa's other suits, the length was similar, and the material identical parts lycra and spandex as previous purchases, from what Rei understood. He pursed his lips. "I'm afraid I can't see any _logical_ reason it should feel any different from the others you own…" he started, then cleared his throat at Nagisa's pointed _look_ , "But I suppose if _you_ feel it's a better fit, then that's all that matters." He then added, just because he could, "Though I think a nice, loud print would suit you better."

Nagisa released a bark of laughter and slapped Rei's bicep, headed back to the changing rooms with a wave of his hand. "You look way better in that kind of stuff than I ever could!" And while it was a logical thing to say, an obvious conclusion to draw, Rei couldn't help the little flush of pride Nagisa's compliment drew, silently admitting that those kinds of comments wouldn't mean _nearly_ as much coming from himself, so perhaps not being able to date himself wasn't an entire loss.

* * *

The aquarium was a rousing success—if a bit predictable for a date course—and after a good half hour of having to peel Nagisa's face off of the glass, they finally made their way out into the open deck area where trainers put on sea lion shows and tiny rockhoppers and Humboldt penguins frolicked in their little craggy paddock. Nagisa nearly wet himself when a butterfly alighted on the upturned beak of one of the rockhoppers, shoving his phone into Rei's grasp and trying desperately to arrange a shot of himself with the penguin behind him—it didn't work, but Nagisa seemed amused by the half-dozen failed shots that now filled his phone's memory and staunchly refused to delete them.

Rei tolerated the change to his carefully planned date schedule when Nagisa suggested they grab lunch at the cafe inside the aquarium gates, but he still insisted on paying, and Nagisa let him—though whether he was just letting Rei have his way or was simply taking advantage of their present 'boyfriends' status, Rei was unsure. Nor was he entirely sure what to make of the fluttering in his stomach he felt when he wandered over to where Nagisa had claimed their seats to watch one of the animal shows, passing over the ice cream cone Rei had bought him (strawberry, of course; Rei had done his homework) and watching intently as Nagisa's face lit up when he saw Rei had ensured they added sprinkles on top. Probably just a sugar rush from the dessert.

"So where to next?" Nagisa asked around a mouthful of the last of his ice cream, threatening to spray chunks of sugar cone and melted ice cream with every word.

Rei distracted himself from the urge to chide Nagisa for his poor manners by pulling out his phone, attempting to surreptitiously check the schedule he'd by and large memorized—it wouldn't do to slip up this close to coming out on top. He adjusted his glasses and ran his gaze down the glowing screen—aquarium, lunch, arc—

But the phone was summarily snatched out of his hand by Nagisa, who flipped it around to stare inquisitively. "Whatcha got there?" Before Rei could respond, though—or even hotly demand his phone back—Nagisa's eyes had gone wide and his cheeks heated with a bright flush. "R—Rei-chan, you…planned everything out?"

Rei's mouth went dry and he balked—for he couldn't tell from Nagisa's tone if he was pleased or pissed that Rei had blocked out practically every step they'd be taking today, and he stammered pathetically, "W—well, one can never be too prepared, and surely this is better than wandering around all day with no mind paid to peak crowding times and such, and I've ensured that…" He trailed off when Nagisa's shoulders began to shake. "Nagisa-…kun?"

His smile was nigh on _blinding_ , and Rei released a soft _oof_ of discomfort when he launched himself to wrap two strong arms around Rei's neck, muttering over and over, "You're the best, Rei-chan, you're the _best_." 

Rei's ears heated with shame from the stares they were getting, but the lightness in his chest was back, robbing him of thought beyond how _genuine_ Nagisa always was, never paying idle compliments or gentling the barbs in his words as tact would dictate. If he _liked_ Rei's anal-retentive nature…then it meant he truly did _like_ it. And while Rei would have liked to think that it was common sense to be prepared like this for a date, that it showed how much importance the person was placing on the event, he'd been criticized before for not being spontaneous enough, and loath to admit it though he might have been, he'd truthfully been a bit…worried. That Nagisa would feel the same way.

But then, he supposed Nagisa was spontaneous enough for the both of them.

* * *

Nagisa was practically _skipping_ as he dragged Rei out of the aquarium toward the bustling gaming center just around the corner from the shopping mall the aquarium had been part of, chattering a mile a minute about the sights they'd just seen ("Get it? A _butterfly ray_!") and the activities he was looking forward to at the arcade. Rei let his inane babble drone in one ear and out the other, enjoying the comforting reminder that Nagisa was back to his old self, and whatever waves had been generated to set their relationship bobbing about like a ship tossed at sea were now once more calm and placid. They were _okay_. He hadn't screwed up the relay team. He hadn't irreparably hurt Nagisa. He could enjoy himself as if this were any other outing, and nothing need mar their good time.

Nagisa made a beeline straight for the _purikura_ booths, as expected, the moment they stepped inside, wasting little time in breezing through the instructions on the screen and instructing Rei where to sit and how to pose, poking him in places he was apparently ticklish (news to Rei) and earning flustered yelps in return. The robotic female voice counted out their shots, encouraging them to try new poses, and Nagisa looped an arm awkwardly over Rei's shoulder, dragging him down to press their cheeks together as he flashed a peace sign and instructed Rei to do the same.

Rei bore this all with as much dignity as he could muster, even managing a fond smile when Nagisa seemed terribly proud of his artistic skills as he applied a crude drawing of a penguin and butterfly over their heads in one of the shots. He had absolutely no control, however, over the irritation that threatened to rear its head when Nagisa muttered in disappointment, "Haru-chan would've totally drawn a better penguin if he were here…" and Rei barely held himself back from snapping sourly _well unfortunately, you're stuck with_ me _on our date_ , instead falling back on 'good boyfriend etiquette' and offering, "I think it looks rather cute." The flushing smile he was returned told him this had been the perfect response.

He let Nagisa pick their movie—pleased that he'd figured correctly the one they'd wind up watching, and Nagisa chattered all the way up to the previews about how much he'd been looking forward to this movie and he just _knew_ Rei was going to love it and how it was kind of sad how empty the theater was—and then he'd fallen silent without Rei realizing it, and his fingers had slipped under the armrest between them to thread between Rei's own.

Rei jerked in place, instinctively jerking his hand back, but Nagisa held fast, eyes ahead and palm flush against Rei's own. And it was dark, and they were almost the only ones in the huge theater, save a mother-daughter pair further toward the front and a group of young middle-schoolers off to the side mashing buttons on their gaming devices while they waited for the show to start. Rei released a long, haggard breath and forced his heart rate down again, settling back into the cushions of his seat and reminding himself not to squeeze so hard, he was going to break Nagisa's fingers like this, and _now_ he was working up a sweat and surely Nagisa would let go soon because this was _not_ beautiful at all, two high-school freshman awkwardly linking fingers between them in a darkened movie theater.

Nagisa ran a thumb gently over Rei's knuckles, squeezing for reassurance, and to his own shock, Rei actually relaxed in the wake of the action, like a kitten grabbed by the scruff of its neck. He thought he caught Nagisa smiling to himself out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked again—it was gone.

* * *

The movie hadn't been as dreadful as Rei had expected—and toward the end, he'd actually caught himself beginning to root for the protagonist, grip tightening against Nagisa's with anticipation as the climax approached until—when finally released—he felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, tangible as ocean breakers. He wasn't used to skinship—and Nagisa seemed to _thrive_ on it, so typically he was only too grateful to have some space where Nagisa wasn't practically clinging to him; but the darkness of the theater, the privacy, and maybe even a bit of conscious reminder that they were supposed to be on a 'date', for all it was worth, had made the gesture…well, not entirely unwelcome. And if Nagisa had appreciated it, then all the better—another tally in his column for 'perfectly perfect boyfriend'.

By the time the credits rolled, Rei caught faint rumblings from Nagisa's midsection and snorted softly to himself, suggesting with raised brows, "There's a lovely pasta place on the third floor of the complex, if you're interested?"

Nagisa was, of course, very very interested—for Italian eateries meant Italian desserts, which meant extravagant, delicious little slices of cake and pudding and tiramisu and panna cotta, enough sugar to surely send one into a diabetic coma. Nagisa not-so-daintily packed it all away, though, after a filling bowl of pasta and a salad course, guiltily flushing when he realized he'd gobbled down both dessert samplers they'd ordered before Rei could lift a spoon. 

Rei just snorted in dry amusement—knowing he should be irritated at Nagisa's lack of manners but curiously finding himself feeling nothing but fondness for his one-track-mindedness.

Turning up the collar on his coat against the chill of an early fall snap as they stepped outside into the evening air, Rei glanced at his watch and asked Nagisa if there were any final stops he wished to make—turning to repeat the question when Nagisa didn't respond after a moment.

"Eh?" he stammered, distractedly, and Rei felt his lip quirk up on one side; it wasn't like Nagisa to be so caught off-guard—usually _he_ was the one steering the conversation.

"I asked if there was anywhere else you'd like to go; it's evening, now, and I'm afraid we haven't all the time in the world, but if there was anything else you'd had your heart set on…?"

Nagisa cocked his head to the side in thought for a moment, nose pinking in the chill and coat bunching up in odd places, too large on his slender frame. "…A ferris wheel."

"Huh?"

Nagisa repeated himself brightly, "A ferris wheel!"

…Of course. Of _course_ he'd want to end the date as dates traditionally did—in the pages of shoujo manga, at least. Rei sighed to himself and crossed his arms. "And just where do you think we're going to find a ferris wheel out here? This isn't Odaiba. This isn't even _Yonago_."

Nagisa touched a finger to his chin, grin turning devious. "Well there's an old, abandoned theme park in Tottori-shi that has this one carriage on its ferris wheel that mysteriously—"

" _NO._ " He wasn't going to sacrifice his mental health for this bet—and no amount of goading or wheedling from Nagisa was going to convince him to sneak into an abandoned park in the middle of the night simply to satisfy Nagisa's gruesome curiosity.

Nagisa pushed his lip out into a pout, "You're no fun, Rei-chan…" Which was preposterous; Rei felt he'd been more than giving today, and drawing the line at _haunted theme park_ was hardly being uptight.

He did need to smooth some ruffled feathers, though, just in case Nagisa genuinely _had_ been set on this ferris wheel business, and instead suggested, "No ferris wheel…but if it's night scenery you're wanting to see, I'm sure we can find something else."

* * *

"Something else" turned out to be an empty park atop a hill, and while it wasn't much of a slope, the grade was steep enough this close to the mountainous terrain at their backs that they could see most of the city sprawl stretching out before them. It wasn't terribly late, but the only other company they shared just now were a few feral cats fighting over a chicken wing near the swing sets, so Rei gave them wide berth and instead guided Nagisa over to a set of benches.

It wasn't terribly chilly just yet, but this didn't stop Nagisa from listing to the side and leaning into Rei, doing something Rei might have been tempted to call _snuggling_ except he quite liked it, and he wasn't so far gone yet that he was comfortable enjoying _snuggling_ with Nagisa. Snuggling was too close to cuddling, which held far too many romantic overtones, and date though they might have mutually agreed this to be, that was not part of the deal.

Nagisa chuckled softly to himself, prompting Rei to frown. "…What?"

A shrug Rei could feel against his body as Nagisa shifted. "Nothin'. Just, you usually freak out or lecture me when I do this. I like it." He took a deep inhalation, releasing it slowly as if he were settling down to nap. "'S gonna be over after tomorrow…so I wanna enjoy it while I can."

Rei glanced around, anxious for anywhere to look but down at Nagisa's head, and cleared his throat. "Just…you always do it in inappropriate places—"

" _Everywhere_ 's an inappropriate place for Rei-chan," Nagisa reminded, but his tone betrayed his amusement.

"—and perhaps if you chose your moments more judiciously…"

"Like now?"

Rei paused, mulling it over, before nervously allowing, "…I suppose." And Nagisa responded by clinging even tighter, breathing in deeply.

"…Rei-chan smells like cigarettes."

Rei jolted in place, leaning out of Nagisa's embrace, and lifted the lapels of his coat to inhale, frowning at the scent. "…Indeed, from the cafe. Hardly a beautiful scent, I apologize."

But Nagisa just shook his head and breathed in again, explaining, "It's all right; I can still smell Rei-chan underneath, after all." He twisted his head up to look Rei in the eye, nearly nose to nose now, and asked brightly, "Can you smell me?"

And now they were _awfully_ close, and Rei's mind was on a dozen things other than whether or not he could detect any scent he might associate with Nagisa under layers of foreign smells, and he quickly cleared his throat, glancing away and praying the nip in the air hid his flush. "…Didn't you want to see the night scenery?"

Nagisa's expression fell for a moment—only a moment, one of those 'blink and you'll miss it' things—but quickly brightened with realization as he hopped to his feet, linking fingers with Rei to drag him forward as well. "C'mon!"

Rei dutifully allowed himself to be jerked along toward a small outcrop that overlooked a steeper drop, flanked by fencing and warning signs to keep small children away. Nagisa practically threw himself against the railing, draping himself over the fencing and staring out at the ocean of lights, fingers tightening against Rei's own.

"Would've been better from a ferris wheel…" Nagisa lamented, but without much whine in his voice for once, and he cocked his head to the side to glance at Rei. "But this is nice, too."

Rei adjusted his glasses superiorly and reminded, "Some things even the perfect boyfriend can't pull off, I'll remind you." There was a beat of silence where Rei half-expected Nagisa to fire back one of his classic _I still really thought Rei-chan would be able to pull it off…_ lines, but nothing came, just the soft _whooo_ of the breeze blowing down from the mountains at their back. And then—

"Rei-chan."

Rei glanced to the side, tearing his eyes from the glittering cityscape to Nagisa—and then Nagisa was _there_ , far too close, fingers of one hand twined in Rei's while the other rested along the coat material over his bicep to steady himself as he lifted onto tip-toes and brushed his lips across Rei's, lingering just long enough to reinforce that this was intentional, not some stumbling consequence, and most assuredly _desired_.

And Rei panicked.

Because they'd never discussed this, never mentioned doing anything _physical_ —this whole affair was supposed to be about emotional availability and understanding your partner, the _platonic_ parts of a relationship—but then, logically, wasn't romance, _physical_ romantic behavior, a part of being a good, attentive partner? Rei hadn't done that at all—had _freaked out_ at the vaguest mention of it, even teasing, when Nagisa had pulled that stunt with the condom packet, and did this mean that Nagisa had been _expecting_ this kind of thing? Had they not discussed it because there'd been no need, because it had been a _given_?

Nagisa was standing here, warm, dry lips against his own, and all Rei could think was _have I screwed up everything now?_

If he reacted poorly to this—he would lose, surely. For all he knew, this was just Nagisa testing him, ready to gauge his reaction, and he groped wildly for a proper response. Well, he knew what the _proper_ response was—kissing Nagisa _back_ —but he had barely managed to retain the sense to even _think_ straight, so unprepared had he been, and even if he'd wanted to return the gesture, he doubted he could.

But Nagisa released him a heartbeat later, turning on his heel and strolling back over to the bench as he kicked up little clods of gravel beneath his boots. Rei watched him go, wanting to touch his lips, see if they still were warm or if the flush running through him just made it seem that way, but he couldn't move—couldn't even look away until Nagisa glanced over his shoulder with, "…Are we done night-gazing? It's getting kinda late…"

"Oh…y-yes, of course. We should…" He swallowed, and suddenly his legs worked again, as he stumbled forward after Nagisa. "Go."

They didn't speak during the long walk back to the station, and it was not a comfortable silence which settled between them. Rei, though, couldn't figure out _how_ things had turned on their head from just moments before—why Nagisa had kissed him, how he was supposed to have reacted, what he could do to right things and put everything back the way it should be before tomorrow. Had he just failed this final test?

They slipped into seats across from each other on the local back to Iwatobi, and Rei watched Nagisa drift off staring out the window at the scenery passing by in a dark blur, going over every step of their date to see what he could have done to bring on this change in attitude. Several times he caught himself opening his mouth, but balked at the last moment, unsure of how to even begin. What could he say, when he didn't even know why Nagisa had done it in the first place?

Spilling out onto the platform with the few other stragglers heading back to Iwatobi, Rei plodded along behind Nagisa, but still was no nearer a conclusion as to how to proceed now than before, wondering if there was some way to salvage this agreement. They passed through the ticket gates, and Rei felt urgency mounting, for it was here they would need to part ways, Nagisa heading down past the conbini at the corner and Rei crossing the tracks to the other side of the station. "N—Nagisa-kun!" he squawked, overly conscious of the stares he was getting, and he scrambled to close to distance between them that had opened when Nagisa had begun his trek home. He hemmed in close, dropping his voice, and placed a hand on Nagisa—who glanced down curiously where he'd grabbed his shoulder before following his arm up and meeting his eyes, brows lifted. "To…tomorrow." He could _see_ Nagisa take a breath and hold it. "…It's the last day; was there anything you wanted to do…?"

Slowly, Nagisa released his breath, and something flickered and faded in his eyes as his brows lowered again, as if whatever had sent them lifting had petered out. "…The beach."

"Eh?" It was nearing fall, they couldn't really swim in the ocean anymore, and the gray skies tomorrow promised wouldn't exactly be fine beach-going weather, but if Nagisa wished it… "The beach…?"

"The beach."

Then they would go. He could still fix this.


	7. Sunday morning, 11:27 AM ~ Sunday morning, 11:43 AM

Rei cursed softly under his breath, crafting a sound mental reaming for Nagisa that he'd been practicing the whole fifteen-minute bus ride he'd had to make to Nagisa's home after he'd been summarily stood up—stood up!—at their appointed meeting spot. His feet slapped the asphalt as he stalked past the final few houses, making a beeline for the Hazuki residence with a thousand lectures on his lips at the ready.

This was unconscionable—they'd parted ways the previous evening on less than comfortable terms, assuredly, but it wasn't like Nagisa to not only complete miss an appointed meeting but to also refuse any calls or texts. He'd already run through every possibility, from simply oversleeping to being laid up in a hospital bed, but Nagisa's phone was ringing properly—hadn't been turned off—so if anything _unfortunate_ had happened to him, surely one of his family members would've picked up at _some_ point, given that Rei had already left four rather harried voice messages and a dozen texts (the contents of which grew angrier with passing time).

He took a breath and forced himself to hold it when he passed the nameplate, burnished metal characters bearing Nagisa's family name, and drew up to the door, brushing a finger over the doorbell and straining an ear to catch the sounds of a family enjoying a fine Sunday morning. 

The grey clouds he'd feared would mar their final 'date', as it were, were nowhere to be seen, and while it would still be a bit too chilly to swim in the ocean, they could have at least enjoyed beachcombing. Unlike Haruka-sempai, Rei was quite confident he'd be able to keep himself from leaping into the surf heedless of outside temperatures. 

He'd actually been _looking forward_ to today. He'd made a fool of himself the previous evening, failing to deliver the ending Nagisa had apparently been expecting of the date, and he'd hoped to make up for his poor showing with today—had even resolved to be spontaneous in hopes of surprising Nagisa with his ability to not only plan out a thoughtful outing but also throw caution to the wind and just _go with the flow_. This had been his _last chance_ , and now Nagisa was ruining it with this display.

But no—now he was getting angry again, and that was _not_ beautiful, perfect boyfriend behavior. Even if Nagisa _did_ deserve it. He huffed to himself and squared his shoulders, adjusting his glasses in the bridge of his nose as he waited for the familiar sound of slippers slapping against the hardwood floors of Nagisa's home.

"Oh my, Ryuugazaki-kun! What a pleasure!" 

He ducked a polite bow. "Good morning, Hazuki-san."

Nagisa's mother wiped her hands on a dishtowel before slapping it over her shoulder. "What brings you by at this hour? Did Nagisa forget something at your place again? Honestly, I really ought to—"

"Ah—no, no ma'am. We were supposed to…" He trailed off, brows furrowing; Nagisa obviously hadn't mentioned their plans to his mother, which suggested he'd made a conscious decision not to meet Rei as planned—and had done so the night before. "Is…Nagisa-kun about?"

Here, her face fell, and she glanced at the staircase. "The poor dear's been under the weather since last night; I'm worried he might have come down with something—he seemed all right when you two headed off together yesterday?"

"Fine…" Rei responded absently, following her gaze up the stairs—then quickly snapped back to look her in the eye. "May I—may I speak with him?"

The woman looked torn, hand coming to her mouth to worry at her chin. "I…I don't know, he's really been an absolute mess all morning, can't even come out of his room…"

And perhaps Rei had had it all wrong—maybe his phone had been on silent and he didn't even know about the voicemails and text messages, maybe he hadn't had the strength to even ask his mother to let Rei know he couldn't make it, maybe he'd been struck with a fever the previous evening and just slipped right off to sleep before letting his family know they'd be hitting the beach the next morning. He instantly regretted being so hasty in jumping to conclusions—he'd surely lose even _more_ points in Nagisa's eyes now—and reached a hand in his pocket to palm his phone, feeling only a contrite message of apology could possibly help him to save face now.

"…All right then, but—don't tax him too terribly? If he isn't feeling better by this afternoon, I'm going to drive him to the clinic. Let him know, for me?" She'd obviously witnessed the spray of emotions splattered across Rei's features and drawn her own conclusions, and while Rei wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know what those conclusions were, he was grateful things were working out for once.

He ducked another polite nod, slipping his shoes off and nearly tripping in his haste as he stepped up from the _genkan_ and sprinted to the stairs. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd been in Nagisa's home—but he'd memorized his way around well enough to feel comfortable navigating his way to Nagisa's room on the second floor. 

Forcing himself to slow his pace and not stomp down the hall with the same force he'd stomped up to the Hazukis' front door, he took another deep breath just outside of Nagisa's room and knocked thrice, waiting for an invitation inside.

Silence—wait, no: silence, followed by a soft, peevish murmur to _go away_ , volume muffled by the closed door. Rei swallowed, then twisted the knob and slowly eased the door open, poking his head inside and glancing around—finding Nagisa huddled under a mound of comforter and attempting to make what looked like some sort of _burrow_ for himself. "…Nagisa-kun?"

The mound exploded as Nagisa scrambled upright, golden hair poking up in all directions as he hastily attempted to tame the mess of bedhead he was sporting. "R—Rei-chan?! What're you…geh…" He quickly gave up trying to make himself presentable, drawing his knees up to his chest and burying his face, which was rapidly washing over flush. 

Rei watched him cautiously from a safe distance—before quickly discerning he wasn't carrying any deadly contagion and slowly, carefully making his way over to the bed, settling within arm's reach of Nagisa—just in case he needed to rap him over the head for _worrying_ Rei like this.

He reminded himself he needed to remain _calm_ —that Nagisa surely had a perfectly logical explanation for all of this, and so he had no business jumping to conclusions. It wasn't what a _good_ boyfriend would do. He clenched and unclenched his fingers in the loose fabric of his pants and took a slow, even breath. "…Were we not going to the beach?"

Nagisa flinched visibly, shoulders narrowing as he braced for the brunt of Rei's lecturing, and he immediately felt contrite—Nagisa wasn't _rude_. Or at least, he wasn't so rude he'd stand Rei up without good reason, but he was all the same apparently still ready to receive a sound round of complaints from Rei's lips when he was clearly feeling…well, obviously not ill, but at least not _good_. He'd been in such high spirits the day before…had Rei's behavior really soured his mood so?

"I don't…I don't really feel like going today. 'm sorry. For not letting you know."

Rei watched him carefully—he seemed so… _small_. So unsure. So…not Nagisa-kun. That flash of disappointment he'd seen the previous evening after the kiss had taken over, was all he could see now. _He'd_ done this. 

"…It's because…I didn't kiss you back, isn't it?"

And _that_ got Nagisa's attention—his cheeks and ear tips a dark pink and mouth fluttering open in a stammered, "Wh—what, no, no that's—"

"It _must_ be," Rei ground out, staring at the hardwood floor paneling beneath his feet—it was, after all, the only logical conclusion to be drawn. Nagisa had been behaving a bit oddly all week, but he'd chalked that up to the strain of the bet. This, though—this was something that had the strength to push Nagisa completely off his game, leaving him the fragile shell he was now. "It must—and, and so…" He swallowed and lifted his gaze, focusing not on Nagisa but on a point on the far wall, because if he looked at Nagisa right now—before he'd steeled himself—he might lose his nerve. "I'm going to make this right." He held his breath and shifted on the bed, bringing up one knee beneath him to face Nagisa full-on now. "I'm ready now. I'm—I can do it now. "

Nagisa's face washed over white with some unrecognizable emotion—that quickly proved to be sheer panic. "Wha—eh?! R—Rei-chan? You—?!"

Rei waved him off though, not intending to be pushed from the path he'd chosen now that he'd worked himself up for it. "No—no you were quite right. This is…part and parcel of being the perfect boyfriend, and…and I should be mature enough not to balk at…physical affection from my partner. So—"

But when he reached out to draw Nagisa in close, Nagisa snapped his hands up to grip him firmly by the wrists, holding him in place while softly muttering, "No…no, it doesn't matter. You don't have to do it." And then he grimaced. "You already won."

Nagisa's grip was vice-like—and painful—but Rei ignored the irritation and instead focused on the words, the admission. "I…what…?"

"You _won_ ," he repeated with more conviction, almost spitting out the words, and shoved Rei's hands away to go back to keeping his face buried against the knees drawn up to his chest. "So…it's over now."

Rei blinked for a few long moments—before frowning, thoroughly confused. "But—that's…just not possible. What do you mean _I won_?" He waved a hand at the closed door and dropped his voice to a hiss, "I was hardly an exemplary boyfriend—I offended you by spurning your kiss, I ignored you for a whole _day_ out of embarrassment. That's hardly behavior befitting a perfect—"

"You didn't have to be _perfect_ —" Nagisa interrupted bitterly, cocking his head to the side to stare at Rei, who fell silent as the distinct sense that he'd missed something _terribly_ important settled over him. "You didn't have to be the perfect boyfriend. You just…" He shrugged to himself. "…Had to be one I wanted to date. So…you succeeded. Get it?" He huffed in defeat. "…You win." 

_Shit_.

Nagisa _liked him_. The kiss hadn't been to test him—hadn't been just part of the 'deal' or some official aspect of their wager. Nagisa had looked at him, backlit against the soft city lights on that hill, and wanted to kiss him—so he had.

_Nagisa liked him._

And then his face lit up like a Christmas tree—and Nagisa groaned and buried his face in his knees again, the pink tinge back on his ears. A long beat of awkward silence passed as Rei tried to process the revelation—though he supposed that it seemed a bit ridiculous to be shocked by the revelation that the boy he'd been playing _boyfriends_ with for the past week had developed, at the very least, a potent crush on him.

He'd put more effort into making Nagisa happy over the past seven days than he ever had with any girlfriend before—few and far between as they'd been—and the experience had been…rewarding, he supposed. Certainly not a terrible trial, at the very least. He'd been looking forward to today—that spoke at least of some level of enjoyment, and he was conscious that the anticipation he'd felt was different. Not the same as excitement before a meet or the thrill of besting his personal time—it was something new and interesting.

A sight, he mused, he'd never seen before.

He swallowed—but his throat was too dry, and he grimaced in irritation, coughing softly to dislodge the lump keeping him from speaking. "…Nagisa-kun."

"Y—yeah…?" He sounded far too timid, and Rei found himself quite distraught that he'd somehow managed to cause this all the same. Nagisa maintained that it wasn't because of the rebuffed kiss, but the discrepancy in affections between them was still partially his own fault. And that simply would not do—not if he was truly going to be the perfect boyfriend.

Locking eyes with Nagisa—and trying not to wince at the worry clearly displayed—he schooled his features. "I must ask two things."

And finally the worry melted away into confusion—which wasn't the expression Rei _wanted_ to see, but it was at least a step up. Confusion could be resolved relatively easily; worry was more difficult to handle. "Two…?"

A nod. "Only two. If you'll humor me."

Nagisa's expression waxed dull—and Rei strongly suspected he would give in purely out of guilt. Which was ridiculous; what did he have to feel guilty for? They were neither of them in the wrong—simply on different pages of the same story. He ducked a nod anyway, and Rei licked his lips and willed his heart to stop its insufferable _pounding_. It was hard to hear over the thudding in his ears.

"…First, I'd like to ask permission to kiss you."

Nagisa's eyes went wide, and his mouth was doing that endearing fluttering motion again, but nothing was coming out, only choked gasps as he scrambled back on his mattress until he hit the headboard. "Y—you _what_?" 

"Two things, Nagisa-kun." He wouldn't discuss this—not right now, and if Nagisa declined, then that was that, and they'd move on. 

But Nagisa wouldn't refuse—because he liked Rei. He liked Rei, and he was _demonstrating_ that beautifully right now with the wary hope in his eyes that bespoke a mental torrent of self-convincing along the lines of _you're never gonna get this chance again just go for it it's not like you've got anything to lose he just wants to kiss you you idiot let him do it_ —and sure enough, he swallowed thickly and let the tension leave his body, sitting up straight and closing his eyes tight as he offered a nod of assent.

Rei snorted softly—enjoying this Nagisa while he could; he sincerely doubted he'd behave like this once he found himself on steadier ground. Then Rei would be on the defensive, as he so often was. He could understand, now, why Nagisa teased him so mercilessly—the power could be a bit thrilling.

Brushing a finger gently along the curve of Nagisa's jaw, he recalled the previous night—the chill of the air, the flush of their cheeks, the soft, almost meaningless brush of lips over lips that hadn't really been meaningless at all, that had been _so_ significant in fact. And he hadn't kissed many people—had given more childish kisses on the cheek to his mother than girlfriends, even—but he wanted this to mean something too.

He didn't have the theory down at all, hadn't read books on romance or studied wooing techniques—but maybe he was a natural, and maybe he could make Nagisa happy like this. So he tipped Nagisa's chin up, apologizing silently when the little face scrunched up in worried anticipation, and slid his lips over Nagisa's.

And there were no fireworks—no spark of arousal or sensation of _coming home_ —but Nagisa's hands immediately came up to his shoulders, not to shove him away but to cling fast, knuckles white as he clenched his fists in the shirt material and let his jaw drop open to invite deeper exploration—

—which Rei was very much not prepared for, and so he pulled back, releasing Nagisa's lips with a soft little _pop_ that was quickly followed up by a whine of disappointment and, "Wai—Rei-chan…!" before Nagisa realized what he was whining _for_ and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, apologizing under his breath.

Rei just shook his head, marveling at the calm that had settled over him—that hadn't been bad. It hadn't been bad, and maybe with practice, it could even be good. It wasn't like kissing a girl—but then, Nagisa wasn't a girl, he was just…Nagisa. And he'd been confident enough in his feelings to try kissing Rei when he had no idea if Rei even remotely cared about him in the same way. That kind of boldness…was quite beautiful.

"What's…" Nagisa started haltingly, and after a pause to collect himself, continued, "…What's the second thing?"

Rei started brows lifting—oh, right. Second thing. He couldn't dwell overly long on the kiss; he had _business_. Mooning over physical displays of affection could come later. He cleared his throat and sat up straight. "…One week."

"Eh?" was Nagisa's initial response—before memory took hold, and he wilted visibly, shoulders shrinking once again as he nodded slowly. "…Yeah, one week."

"We'll try dating. For one week." Shock started to wash over Nagisa like a palpable wave, and Rei fought back a superior smile at finally having the upper hand. "And if, at the end of that week, you've convinced me you'd be someone I'd want to be with…" Nagisa's brows lifted, cheeks pink and eyes wide. "…Then you'll win."

Nagisa scrambled to his knees, hair sticking up in every direction making him appear altogether wild and crazed, and he barely managed to wrap his tongue around his words. "W—win what?"

Rei shifted off the bed, adjusting his clothes—Nagisa had ruffled him quite thoroughly with his man-handling—and shrugged to himself. "We can discuss it. On the way to the beach."


End file.
